The present invention relates generally to surgical instruments, and more particularly to an actuating handle for actuating a surgical component such as a blade, clamp, punch, needle, shear, etc., and methods of using same.
The contents of each of the U.S. patents and other references, if any, cited in this Background Of Invention section, are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
In surgery, incisions or openings are often needed to provide access for surgical or diagnostic instruments, implantation of bioprosthetic devices, attachment points for autologous or xenographic tissues, or for other reasons. Typically, instruments used for creating such openings include a handle and/or actuating component constructed of many mechanical parts, thus increasing the complexity of manufacture, assembly, use, and maintenance and, in some cases, decreasing the durability and reliability of the instrument.
Examples of such surgical instruments with multiple-part handles or actuating components are described in the following United States patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,237 issued Dec. 14, 1973 to Hill; U.S. Pat. No. 4,018,228 issued Apr. 19, 1977 to Goosen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,776 issued Aug. 12, 1980 to Downie et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,294 issued Mar. 9, 1993 to Blake III; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,867 issued Jan. 23, 2001 to Wright. Each of these describe handles or actuating components which use a coil spring to create a spring force which biases the operative portion of the instrument to an original position, and which assists in actuating the instrument.
Further examples of such surgical instruments with multiple-part handles or actuating components are described in the following United States patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,554 issued Mar. 26, 1991 to Korber; U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,817 issued Feb. 1, 1994 to Hoogeboom et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,910,153 issued Jun. 8, 1999 to Mayenberger. Each of these describe handles or actuating components which use separate bowed elements such as metal arms which are used to actuate the surgical component.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,007 issued Feb. 18, 1992 to Kirsch et al, describes a surgical instrument having a body formed of a single length of flexible steel, combined with a collet. However, the body must be stamped, then bent and welded together to form a handle. Furthermore, the actuating mechanism requires squeezing opposing bowed metal elements of the body together in a manner similar to operation of a tweezers, and thus may require extraordinary dexterity to maintain a proper and secure grip of the instrument while in use. The handle described in Kirsch is also adapted to function only with a collet responsive to camming surfaces at the forward portion of the collet.
Accordingly, there is a need for surgical instrument actuating handle manufactured as a single-piece, such as from machining or molding, which includes an actuating component and has an ergonomic design contributing to a secure and controllable grip.
The present invention describes a surgical handle for actuating surgical components such as blades, clamps, punches, needles, shears, etc., primarily for use in cardiovascular or arthroscopic surgery. The handle is a single-piece handle, including an outer portion and an inner portion. The outer portion is defined by a head and a neck. The inner portion is substantially within the outer portion, and includes an actuating component, and a guiding component connected to the actuating component. The actuating component includes a finger grip, and a spring force component which biases the finger grip and the guiding component to extend away from the head and towards a distal tip of the neck. A stress limiting component limits stress at critical points of the spring force component by limiting movement of the spring force component at the critical points during actuation of the actuating component. The guiding component is adapted for movement through the neck of the outer portion along a longitudinal axis of the neck, in response to actuation and release of the actuating component, thus allowing a surgical component connected to a distal tip of the guiding component to function.
The single-piece construction of the handle decreases the complexity of manufacture and maintenance. The ergonomic finger grip contributes to a secure and comfortable grip, and allows for controlled actuation of the actuating component with only a single hand. The handle may be manufactured in various dimensions as necessary for a particular function, but a single handle is adapted to receive a variety of surgical components.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention are discussed in the detailed description that follows.